4833 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY POLICY
(Reviewed 03/11)
It is the policy of the State of California that information and services within California State Government, and provided via electronic and information technology, be accessible to people with disabilities.
State agencies must comply with federal and state laws forbidding discrimination against persons with disabilities, including accessibility of their electronic and information technology. Under existing federal and state laws and policies, state agencies, as well as any contractors working for them, are responsible for ensuring that their agency public Web sites are accessible to both the general public and that their internal agency electronic and information technology systems are accessible by state employees, including persons with disabilities.
California Government Code section 11135 directs that: "state government entities, in developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic or information technology, either indirectly or through the use of state funds by other entities, shall comply with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794d), and regulations implementing that act as set forth in Part 1194 of Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations."
Government Code section 11135, in requiring compliance with Section 508, mandates that electronic and information technology (EIT) are accessible to individuals with disabilities, specifically:
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State agencies must develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, that employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.
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Individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a state agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.
